Name

The
Surah takes its name from the word al-waqi`ahof the very first verse.

Period
of Revelation

According
to the chronological order that Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas has given
of the Surahs, first Surah Ta Ha was sent down, then Al-Waqi'ah and
then Ash-Shu`ara'(Suyuti: Al-Itqan).
The same sequence has been reported from Ikrimah (Baihaqi: Dala'il
an Nubuwwat).

This
is supported also by the story that Ibn Hisham has related from Ibn
Ishaq about the affirmation of the Faith by Hadrat Umar (may Allah be
pleased with him). It says that when Hadarat Umar entered his
sister's house, Surah Ta Ha was being recited. Hearing his voice the
people of the house hid the pages of the Qur'an. Hadrat Umar first
seized his brother-in-law and then his sister rose in defense of her
husband, he hit her also and wounded her on the head. When Umar saw
blood on his sister, he was sorry for what he had done, and said to
her: "Show me the manuscript that you have concealed so that I
may see what it contains." The sister said: "You are
unclean because of your polytheism: wa
anna-hu la yamassu-ha ill-at-tahir:
"Only a clean person can touch it." So, Hadrat Umar rose
and washed himself, and then took up the manuscript to read it. This
shows that Sarah Al-Waqi'ah had been sent down by that time for it
contains the verse: La
yamassu hu ill al mutahharun;
and it had been established historically that Hadrat Umar embraced
Islam after the first migration to Habash, in the fifth year of the
Prophethood.

Theme
and Subject Matter

Its
theme is the Hereafter, Tauhidand refutation of the Makkan
disbelievers' suspicions about the Qur'an. What they regarded as
utterly incredible was that Resurrection would ever take place, then
the entire system of the earth and heavens would be upset, and when
all the dead would be resurrected and called to account, after which
the righteous would be admitted to Paradise and the wicked cast into
Hell. They regarded all this as imaginary, which could not possibly
happen in actual fact. In answer to this, it was said: "When the
inevitable event will take place, there will be none to belie its
happening, nor will anyone have the Power to avert it, nor prove it
to, be an unreal happening. At that time all peoples will be divided
into three classes: (1) The foremost in rank and position; (2) the
common righteous people and (3) those who denied the Hereafter and
persisted in disbelief and polytheism and major sins till the last."
How these three classes of the people will be rewarded and punished
has been described in detail in vv. 7-56.

Then,
in vv. 57-74 arguments have been given, one after the other, to prove
the truth of the two basic doctrines of Islam, which the disbelievers
were refusing to accept, viz. the doctrines of Tauhidand the Hereafter. In these arguments,
apart from every thing else that exists in the earth and heavens,
man's attention has been drawn to his own body and to the food that
he eats and to the water that he drinks and to the fire on which he
cooks his food, and he has been invited to ponder the question : What
right do you have to behave independently of, or serve any other
than, the God Whose creative power has brought you into being, and
Whose provisions sustain you And how can you entertain the idea that
after having once brought you into existence He has become so
helpless and powerless that He cannot recreate you once again even if
he wills to?

Then,
in vv. 75-82 their suspicions in respect of the Qur'an have been
refuted and they have been made to realize how fortunate they are
that instead of deriving any benefit from the great blessing that the
Qur'an is, they are treating it with scant attention and have set
only this share of theirs in it that they deny it. If one seriously
considers this matchless argument that has been presented in two
brief sentences about the truth of the Qur'an, one will find in it
the same kind of firm and stable system as exists among the stars and
planets of the Universe, and the same is the proof of the fact that
its Author is the same Being Who has created the Universe. Then the
disbelievers have been told that this Book is inscribed in that Writ
of Destiny which is beyond the reach of the creatures, as if to say
"You think it is brought down by the devils to Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him), whereas none but the pure angels
has any access to the means by which it reaches Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) from the well guarded Tablet."

In
conclusion, man has been warned, as if to say: "You may brad and
boast as you like and may shut your eyes to the truths in your
arrogance of independence, but death is enough to open your eyes. At
death you become helpless: you cannot save your own parents; you
cannot save your children; you cannot save your religious guided and
beloved leaders. They all die in front of your vary eyes while you
look on helplessly. If there is no supreme power ruling over you, and
your this assumption is correct that you are all in all in the world,
and there is no God, then why don't you restore to the dying person
his soul?Just as you are helpless in this, so it is also beyond your
power to stop Allah from calling the people to account and mete out
rewards and punishments to them. You may or may not believe it, but
every dying person will surely see his own end after death. If he
belongs to those nearest to God, he will see the good end meant for
them if he be from among the righteous, he will see the end prepared
for the righteous; and if he be from among the deniers of the truth,
he will see the end destined for the criminals.

In
the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

[1-16]
When the inevitable event happens, there shall be none to belie its
happening.1
It will be a calamity which will abase and exalt.2
The earth shall be shaken all of a sudden,3
and the mountains shall crumble and become as scattered dust. You,
them, shall be divided into three classes.4
People of the right hand.5
Oh, how (fortunate) shall be the people of the right hand! And the
people of the left hand.6
Oh, how ( unfortunate ) shall be the people of the left hand! And the
foremost shall still be the foremost.7
They will be those nearest (to God). They shall abide in the Gardens
of bliss. Most of them will be froth among the former people and a
few from among those of latter day.8
They will he reclining on jeweled couches facing each other.

[17-26]
Eternal youths9
shall go round them briskly with brimful goblets and beakers and cups
of wine from a flowing spring, which will neither cause them
giddiness nor affect their sense.10
And they shall present before them every kind of tasty fruit,
whichever they may choose; and the flesh of fowls, whichever they may
desire.11
And for them there shall be beautiful-eyed houris, as lovely as
well-guarded pearls.12
All this they will receive in reward for what they had done in the
world. There they shall neither hear vain talk nor sinful speech.13
Whatever they hear shall be right and pure.14

[27-40]
And the people of the right hand. Oh, how fortunate will be the
people of the right hand! They shall be among thornless lote-trees,15
and piled up bananas, one upon the other, and outspread shade and
ever flowing waters and abundant fruits16
neither failing in supply nor forbidden, and in upraised couches. We
shall create their wives anew and make them virgins,17
lovers of their husbands18
and of equal age.19
All this is for the people of the right hand. A good number of them
will be from among the former people and a good number also from
among those of latter day.

[41-56]
And the people of the left hand. Oh, how unfortunate will be the
people of the left hand! They will be in the scorching wind and the
boiling waters and the shadow of black smoke, which will be neither
cool nor refreshing. These will be the people who had lived in ease
and comfort before meeting this fate. They persisted in heinous sin20
and used to say, "What, when we are dead and become dust and
bones, shall we be raised up again? And our forefathers too, who have
gone before?" Say to them, "Surely, the former and the
latter, all shall be gathered together one day, the hour of which has
already been appointed. Then, O deviators and deniers, you shall eat
of the zaqqum-tree21
and fill your bellies with it, and drink on top of that boiling water
like the thirsty camel. This shall be the entertainment of the people
of the left hand on the Day of Recompense.

[57-62]
We have created you.22
Then why don't you confirm?23
Have you ever considered the sperm drop that you emit? Is it you who
create the child from it, or are We the Creators?24
We have distributed death among you,25
and We are not helpless that We may change your forms and create you
in another form that you do not know.26
You already know well your first creation. Why then you do not take
heed?27

[63-67]
Have you ever considered the seeds that you sow ? Is it you who cause
them to grow into crops, or do We?28
If We so pleased We could turn these crops into chaff, and you would
then be left lamenting, "We have incurred penalties! Ah, we are
undone!"

[68-70]
Have you ever seen (with open eyes) the water that you drink? Is it
you who cause it to rain from the clouds, or do We?29
If We so pleased We could make it salt.30
Then why don't you be grateful?31

[71-73]
Have you ever considered the fire that you kindle? Is it you who have
created its tree,32
or are We its Creator "We have made it a means of remembrance33
and a provision of life for the needy.34

[75-82]
But nay!36
I swear by the positions of the stars-and it is a great oath, only if
you knew it-that this is a glorious Qur'an,37
inscribed in a well-guarded Book,38
which none can touch but the purified.39
This has been sent down by the Lord of the worlds. Then, do you
regard this discourse as unworthy of serious attention?40
And do you have in this blessing only this share that you deny it?41

[83-94]
If you think you are subject to nobody, and you deem you are right in
thinking so, then why don't you restore to the dying person his soul
when it has come up to the throat and you are helplessly watching
that he is at the point of death? At that time We are closer to him
than you, but you do not see Us. Then, if the dying person be of
those nearest to Us, for him there is comfort and good provision and
the blissful Garden. And if he be of the people of the right hand, he
is greeted with "Peace be to you: You are of the people of the
right!" And if he be of the deniers, gone astray, his
entertainment is of boiling water and burning in Hell.

[95-96]
All this is absolute truth. So, O Prophet, glorify the name of your
Lord, the Supreme!42

1Opening
the discourse with this sentence by itself signifies that this is an
answer to the objections that were than being raised in the
disbelievers conferences against Resurrection. This was the time
when the people of Makkah had just begun to hear the invitation to
Islam from the Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon be Allah's peace and
blessing). In it what seemed most astonishing and remote from reason
to them was that the entire system of the earth and heavens would
one day be overturned and then another world would be set up in
which all the dead, of the former and the latter generations, would
be resurrected. Bewildered they would ask: `This is just impossible
! Where will this earth, these oceans, these mountains, this moon
and sun go? How will the centuries-old dead bodies rise up to life ?
How can one in his senses believe that there will be another life
after death and there will be gardens of Paradise and the fire of
Hell ?" Such were the misgivings that were being expressed at
that time everywhere in Makkah. It was against this background that
it was said: "When the inevitable event happens, there shall be
no one to belie it. "

In this
verse the word "wagi ah " (event) has been used for
Resurrection, which nearly means the same thing as the English word
'inevitable', signifying thereby that it is something that must come
to pass. Then, its happening has been described by the word "waqi
ah, " which is used for the sudden occurrence of a disaster.
Laisa li-waq'at-i-ha kadhibat-un can have two meanings:

(1) That
it will not be possible that its occurrence be averted, or stopped,
or turned back; or, in other words, there will be no power to make
it appear as an unreal event; and

(2) that
there will be no living being to tell the lie that the event has not
taken place.

2Literally:
"that which causes (something or somebody j to rise and to
Fall. " Its one meaning can be that it will upset every order:
it will turn things up-side-down. Another meaning also can be that
it will exalt the lowly and bring low the high and mighty; that is,
on its advent the decision as to who is noble and who is ignoble
among the people will be made on quite a different basis. Those who
posed as honorable people in the world, would become contemptible
and those who were considered contemptible would become honorable.

3That
is, it will not be a local earthquake that may occur in a restricted
area, but it will shake the whole earth to its depths all of a
sudden, and it will experience a tremendous jolt and tremors all
through.

4Although
the address apparently is directed to the people to whom this
discourse was being recited, or who may read it or hear it read now,
in fact the entire mankind is its addressee. All human beings who
have been born since the first day of creation and will be born till
the Day of Resurrection, will ultimately he divided into three
classes.

5The
word maintanah in ashab al-maimanah, in the original, stay have been
derived from Yamin, which means the right hand, and also from yumn,
which means good omen. If it is taken to be derived from yamin,
ashab almaimanah would mean: `those of the right hand." This,
however, does not imply its lexical meaning, but it signifies the
people of exalted rank and position. The Arabs regarded the right
hand as a symbol of strength and eminence and honor, and therefore
would seat a person whom they wished to do honor, on the right hand,
in the assemblies. And if it is taken as derived from yumn, ashab
almaimanah would mean fortunate and blessed people.

6The
word mash 'amah in ashab al-mash'amah, in the original, is from
shu'm which means misfortune, ill-luck and bad omen; in Arabic the
left hand also is called shuma. The Arabs regarded shimal (the left
hand) and shu'm (bad omen) as synonyms, the left hand being a symbol
of weakness and indignity. If a bird flew left on the commencement
of a journey, they would take it as a bad omen; if they made a
person sit on their left, it meant they regarded him as a weak man.
Therefore, ashab al-mash'amah implies ill-omened people, or those
who would suffer disgrace and ignominy, and would be made to stand
on the left side in the Court of Allah.

7Sabiqin
(the Foremost) implies the people who excelled others in virtue and
love of the truth and in good works and responded to the call of
Allah and His Messenger before others. They were also in the
forefront in their response to the call for Jihad, for expending
their wealth for the sake of the needy and for public services, or
for inviting others to virtue and truth, in short, for spreading the
good and wiping out evil and making sacrifices and exerting
themselves whenever there was need for it. On this very basis, in
the Hereafter too, they will be placed in the forefront.

Thus,
mankind, so to say, will be ranged in Allah's Court like this: On
the right hand, there will be the righteous, on the left the wicked,
and in the forefront (nearest in Divine Presence) the Sabiqin (the
Foremost in Faith and good deeds). According to a Hadith reported by
,Hadrat `A'ishah the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) asked
the people: "Do you know who, on the Day of Resurrection, will
he the first to be accommodated under the Divine Shade ?" The
people said Allah and His Messenger only had the best knowledge.
Thereupon the Holy Prophet replied: "Those who were such that
when the Truth was presented before them, they accepted it
forthwith; when a right was asked of them, they discharged it
gracefully; and their decision in respect of others was the same as
in respect of their own selves." (Musnad Ahmad).

8The
commentators have differed as to who are implied by the former And
the latter people '`

One group
of them has expressed the view that the "former people"
were the communities that passed away since the time of the Prophet
Adam (peace be upon him) till the time of the Prophet Muhammad (upon
whom be Allah's peace and blessings), and the ¦people of the
latter day" those who will have lived in the world since the
advent of the Holy Prophet till the Day of Resurrection. Accordingly
the verse would mean: "The number of the Sabqin (the Foremost
in Faith and good deeds) among the people who passed away during the
thousands of years before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (upon
whom be Allah's peace and blessings) would be greater, and the
number of those who would attain to the rank of the Sabiqin among
those people who have been born since the advent of the Holy
Prophet, or will be born till the Day of Resurrection, will be less.
"

The
second group says that the former and the latter in this verse imply
the former and the latter people of the Holy Prophet's own Ummah
itself. That is, in his Ummah the people belonging to the earliest
period were the former among whom the number of the Sabiqin will be
greater, and the people of the later periods are the latter among
whom the number of the Sabiqin will be smaller.

The third
group holds the view that this- implies the former and the latter
people of every Prophet's own Ummah. That is, there will be numerous
Sabiqin among the earliest followers of every Prophet, but among his
later followers their number will decrease. The words of the verse
bear all the three meanings, and possibly all three ate implied, for
there is no contradiction between them. Besides, they give another
meaning also and that too is cornet: every early period of a
Prophet's following the proportion of the Sabiqin in human
population would be greater and in the later period less, for the
number of the workers of good and right does not increase at the
rate of increase of the human populations. They may be more numerous
as against the Sabiqin of the earliest period. but on the whole
their number as against the world population goes on becoming less
and less.

9This
implies boys who will ever remain boys and stay young. Hadrat 'AIi
and Hadrat Hasan Basri say that these will be those children of the
people, who died before reaching their maturity; therefore, they
will neither have any good works to their credit for which they may
be rewarded, nor any evil deeds for which they may be punished, But
obviously, this could imply those people who would not deserve
Paradise. For, as for the true believers, about them Allah has
guaranteed in the Qur'an that their children will be joined with
them in Paradise (At-Tur: 21). This is also supported by the Hadith,
which Abu Da'ud Tayalisi, Tabarani and Bazzar have related on the
authority of Hadrat Anas and Hadrat Samurah bin Jundub, according to
which the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) said that the
children of the polytheists will be attendants of the people of
Paradise. (For further explanation, see E.N. 26 of As-Saaffat, E.N.
19 of At-tur).

13This
is one of the major blessings of Paradise, which has been mentioned
at several places in the Qur'an, viz. that in Paradise human ears
will remain secure against idle and frivolous talk, lying,
backbiting slander, invective, boasting and bragging, taunts and
mockery, satire and sarcasm. It will not be a society of
foul-mouthed, indecent people who will throw mud at each other, but
a society of noble and civilized people free of such frivolities. A
person who has been blessed with some decency of manner and sense by
Allah can very well feel what an agony it is in worldly life a hope
of deliverance from which has been given to man in Paradise.

14Some
commentators and translators have taken the words, illa gilan
salam-an salama, to mean that in Paradise one will hear only the
greeting of 'Peace, peace' on every side; the correct view, however,
is that it implies healthy and wholesome speech, i.e. such speech as
may be free of the vices and blemishes, faults and evils, that have
been mentioned in the preceding sentence. Here the word salam has
been used nearly in the same sense as the English word sane.

15That
is, lote-trees without thorns on them. This will be a superior kind
of the lote-tree to be only found in Paradise, and its fruit
likewise will be much superior to that found in the world.

16The
word !a maqtu ah of the Text means: This fruit will neither be
seasonal that its supply may fail when the season is over, nor its
production will cease as it happens in a garden after its fruits has
been picked. But in Paradise every kind of fruit will remain
available in abundance in every season and will continue to be
produced and supplied no matter how much of it is consumed. And la
mamnu'ah means that there will be no prohibition or hindrance in
obtaining fruit as it is in the gardens of the world, nor will it be
out of reach because of thorns or height.

17This
signifies the virtuous women of the world, who will enter Paradise
on the basis of their faith and good works. Allah will make them
young no matter how aged they might have died in the world; will
make them beautiful whether or not they were beautiful in the world;
and will make them virgins whether they died virgins in the world or
after bearing children. If their husbands also entered Paradise with
them, they would be joined with them, otherwise Allah will wed them
to another dweller in Paradise. This very explanation of this verse
has been reported from the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) in
several Ahadith. According to Shama il Tirmidhi, an old woman
requested the Holy Prophet to pray for her admission to Paradise.
The Holy Prophet replied: "No old woman will enter Paradise."
Hearing this the woman went back crying. Thereupon the Holy Prophet
said to the people: "Tell her that she will not enter Paradise
as an old woman, for Allah says: `We shall create them anew and make
them virgins'." Ibn Abi Hatim has related, on the authority of
Hadrat Salamah bin Yazid, that he heard the Holy Prophet ( upon whom
be peace) explain this verse, thus: "This implies the women of
the world; whether they died virgins or married." Tabarani
contains a lengthy tradition related from Hadrat Umm Salamah
according to which she asked the Holy Prophet the meaning of the
several references in the Qur'an to the women of Paradise. In
answer, he explained this very verse and said: "These are the
women who died as aged and decayed women, with sticky eyes and gray
hair; alter this old age Allah will again make them young and
virgins." Hadrat Umm Salamah asked: "If a woman had
several husbands in the world, one after the other, to whom will she
belong in Paradise ?'' The Holy Prophet replied "She will he
asked to make her own choice, and she will choose the one who had
the best moral character. She will say: O my Lord, make me his wife,
for he was the best in his conduct and dealings with me. O Umm
Salamah, good moral conduct has carried off all the good of this
world and the Hereafter." (For further explanation, see E.N. 51
of Surah Ar-Rahman).

18The
word 'uruban is used for the best feminine qualities of the woman in
Arabic. This signifies a woman who is graceful and elegant,
well-mannered and eloquent, and brimful of feminine feelings, who
loves her husband with all her heart, and whose husband also loves
her with all his heart.

(2) that
they will be of equal age among themselves; i.e. all the women in
Paradise will be of the same age and will eternally stay young.

Both
these meanings may be correct at one and the same time, i.e. these
women may be of equal age among themselves and their husbands also
may be made of equal age with them. .According to a ,Hadith, "When
the dwellers of Paradise enter it, their bodies will be without
hair, their mustaches will be just appearing, but will yet he
beardless, they will be handsome and fair-complexioned, with sturdy
bodies and collyrium- stained eyes; they will all be 33 years of
age." (Musnad Ahmad: Marwiyat Abi Hurairah). Almost the same
theme has been related in Tirmidhi by Hadrat Mu'adh bin Jabal and
Hadrat Abu Sa`id Khudri also.

20That
is, "Their prosperity had an adverse effect on them. Instead of
being grateful to Allah Almighty, they had become deniers of His
blessings. Lost in pleasure-seeking they had forgotten God and
persisted in heinous sinning. "Heinous sinning" includes
disbelief, polytheism and atheism as well as every grave sin of
morality and conduct."

22The
arguments from here to verse 74 provide the reasoning to prove both
the doctrines of `Tauhid and of Hereafter rationally. For it was
there two basic doctrines of the Holy Prophet's teaching that the
people of Makkah were debating and objecting to at that time.

23That
is, "Why don't you confine that We alone are your Lord and God
and We have the power to create you once again?"

24In
this brief sentence a very important question has been put before
man. Apart from all other things in the world, if man only considers
as to how he himself has come into being, he can then neither have
any doubts left about the doctrine of Tauhid presented by the Qur'an
nor about its doctrine of the Hereafter. The process of man's own
creation starts when the male has conveyed his sperm to the womb of
the female. But the question is: Has the sperm by itself become
endowed with the capability of producing a child, and necessarily a
human child ? Or, has it been created by man himself, or, by another
than God? And, is it in the power of the man, or of the woman, or of
another agency in the world, to cause conception by this sperm?
Then, who is responsible for the gradual formation and development
of the fetus in the mother's womb, its shaping and molding into a
unique child, the provision in a particular proportion of different
mental and physical powers and qualities in each child, so that it
develops into a unique person, except One God? Has another than God
any role to play in this? Is it done by the parents themselves? Or,
by a doctor? Or, by the prophets of saints, who were themselves
created in this very way? Or, by the sun and the moon and the stars,
which arc themselves subject to a law? Or, by nature, which is
devoid of any knowledge, wisdom, will and authority? Then, is it
also in the power of another than God to decide whether the child is
to be a boy or a girl? Whether it is to be beautiful or ugly, strong
or weak, blind and deaf and a cripple or sound bodied, intelligent
or stupid? Then, is it another than God who decides as to people of
what caliber, good or and are to be created in a particular nation
at a particular time, who would cause its rise or fall? If a person
is not obdurate and stubborn, he will himself realize that no
rational answer can be given to these questions on the basis of
polytheism and atheism. Their rational answer is only one and it is
this Man is wholly and entirely the creation of God; and when the
truth is this, what right has this man, the creation of God, to
claim freedom and independence as against his Creator, or serve
another beside Him?

As it is
for Tauhid, so it is with regard to the Hereafter too. Man is
created from a germ which cannot be seen without a powerful
microscope. This gene combines in the darkness of the mother's body
with the ovum (female germ) which is like itself an insignificant
microscopic germ. Then by their combination a tiny living cell comes
into being, which is the starting-point of human life. This cell
also is too small to be seen without a microscope. Allah develops
this insignificant cell in the mother's womb for nine months or so
into a living human, and when its development and formation becomes
complete, the mother's body itself pushes it out to raise a storm in
the world. All human beings have been born into the world in this
very way and are witnessing day and night this phenomenon of the
birth of human beings like themselves. After this, only a foolish
person could assert that the God Who is creating human beings in
this way today would not be able to create the human beings created
by Himself in some other way tomorrow.

25That
is, "Like yow birth yow death too, is under Our control. We
decide as to who is to die in the mother's womb itself, who is to
die soon after birth, and who is to die at a later stage. No power
in the world can cause death to a person before the time appointed
for his death by Us, nor can keep him alive after it even for a
moment. The dying ones die in big hospitals even before the eyes of
eminent doctors; and the doctors themselves also die at their
appointed time. Never bas anyone been able to know the time of death
in advance, nor has anyone been able to avert the approaching death,
nor to find out as to how and where and by what means will a certain
person die."

26That
is, "Just as We were not powerless to create you in your
present form and appearance, so also We are not powerless to change
the method of your creation and bring you into being in another form
and shape with another set of qualities and characteristics. Today
the method We have adopted for your creation is that conception
takes place by your sperm then you arc gradually form and developed
in your mother's womb, and then you are brought out as a child. This
method of creation also has been devised by Us. But this is not the
only method apart from which We may not he knowing, or may not be
able to adopt, any other method. On the Day of Resurrection We can
create you in the form of the man of the same age at which you died.
Today We have set one particular measure for your sight and hearing
and other faculties. But this is not the only measure that We have
for man, which We may not have the power to change. On the Day of
Resurrection We shall change it absolutely; so much so that you will
be able to see and hear things which you cannot see and cannot hear
here. Today your skin and your limbs and your eyes do not possess
the power of speech. But, it is We Who have given the tongue the
power of speech; so We are not powerless to cause your every limb
and every part of the skin of yow body to speak by Our command on
the Day of Resurrection. Today you live up to a certain age and then
die. Your this living and dying also is controlled by a law ordained
by Us. Tomorrow We can make another law to control yow life under
which you may never die. Today you can endure punishment only to a
certain extent: you cannot survive if the punishment is increased
beyond it. This rule also has been made by Us. Tomorrow We can make
another rule for you Under which you will be able to suffer much
severer punishments endlessly, and death would not come to you even
if you were given the severest torment. Today you cannot imagine
that an old man could return to youth, that he could never become
ill, that a young man could never be old, and, that he could stay
young for ever and ever. But youth here changes into old age
according to the biological laws made by Us. Tomorrow We can make
some other laws for your life under which every old man may become
young as soon as he entered Paradise and stay young and healthy
eternally.

27That
is, "You already know how you were created in the first
instance, how the sperm was transferred from the loins of the father
by which you came into being, how you were nourished in the mother's
womb, which was no less dark than the grave, and formed into a
living human being, how an insignificant speak was developed and
endowed with the heart and brain, eyes and ears, and hands and feet,
and how it was blessed with the wonderful faculties of intellect and
sense, knowledge and wisdom, workmanship and inventiveness, etc. Is
this miracle in any way less wonderful than raising the dead back to
life ? And when you are witnessing this wonderful miracle with your
own eyes and are yourselves a living evidence of it in the world,
why don't you then learn the lesson that the same God Who by His
power is causing this miracle to take place day and night, can also
cause the miracle of life after death, Resurrection and Hell and
Heaven to take place by the same power?"

28The
above question drew the people's attention to the truth that they
have been developed and nourished by Allah Almighty and have come
into being by His act of creation. Now this second question draws
their attention to this important truth that the provisions which
sustain them, are also created only by Allah for them, as if to say:
"Just as in your own creation human effort has nothing more to
do than that your father may cast the sperm in your mother, so in
the supply of the provisions for you also human effort has nothing
more to do than that the farmer should sow the seed in the soil. The
land in which cultivation is done, was not made by you. The power of
growth to the soil was not granted by you. The substances in it that
become the means of your food are not provided by you. The seed that
you sow is not made capable for growth by you. The capability in
every seed that from it should sprout up the tree of the same
species of whose seed it is, has not been created by you. The
process for changing this cultivation into blooming crops that is
working under the soil and of arranging the required kind of weather
and air and water above it does not owe anything in any way to your
planning and skill. All this is the manifestation of Allah's power
and providence. Then, when you have come into being only by His act
of creation and are being sustained by His provision, how can you
then have the right to pose yourself as independent of Him, or save
another than Him as your deity?

Although
apparently this verse reasons out Tauhid, yet if one considers its
theme a little more deeply, one finds in it the argument for the
Hereafter, too. The seed that is sown in the soil is by itself dead,
but when the farmer buries it under the soil, Allah infuses it with
plant life, which puts out sprouts and blooms into spring. Thus,
these countless bodies are rising from the dead in front of our eyes
daily. Is this miracle in any way loss wonderful so that a person
may regard the other wonderful miracle of the life hereafter, which
is being foretold by the Qur'an, as impossible?

29That
is, "We have not only made arrangements of satisfying your
hunger, but also of satisfying your thirst, This water that is even
more essential for your life than bread has been arranged by Us, not
by you The seas in the earth have been created by Us. It is the heat
of Our sun that causes their water to evaporate, and it is Our winds
that cause the vapors to rise. Then it is by Our power and wisdom
that the vapors collect and form into clouds. Then, by Our command
the clouds divide in a particular proportion and spread over
different regions of the earth so that the share of the water
appointed for a particular region, should reach it. And in the upper
atmosphere also We bring about the cool that causes the vapors to
change back into water We have not only brought you into being but
are also busy making all these arrangements for your sustenance
without which you could not survive at all. Then, when the fact is
that you have come into being by Our act of creation, arc eating Our
provisions and drinking Our water, where from have you got the right
that you should pose to be independent of Us and serve another
beside Us?"

30In
this sentence an important manifestation of Allah's power and wisdom
has been pointed out. Among the wonderful properties that Allah has
created in water one property also is that no matter what different
substances are dissolved in water, when it changes into vapor under
the effect of heat, it leaves behind all adulterations and
evaporates only with its original and actual component elements. Had
it not possessed this property the dissolved substances also would
have evaporated along with the water vapors. In this case the vapors
that arise from the oceans would have contained the sea salt, which
would have made the soil saline and uncultivable wherever it rained.
Then, neither could man have survived by drinking that water, nor
could it help grow any vegetation. Now, can a man possessed of any
common sense claim that this wise property in water has come about
by itself under some blind and deaf law of nature? This
characteristic by virtue of which sweet, pure water is distilled
from saltish seas and falls as rain, and then serves as a source of
water-supply and irrigation in the form of rivers, canals, springs
and wells, provides a clear proof of the fact that the Providence
has endowed water with this property thoughtfully and deliberately
for the purpose that it may become a means of sustenance for His
creatures. The creatures that could be sustained by salt water were
created by Him in the sea and there they flourish and multiply. But
the creatures that He created on the land and in the air, stood in
need of sweet water for their sustenance and before making
arrangement of the rainfall for its supply He created this property
in water that at evaporation it should rise clear and free of
everything dissolved in it.

31In
other words, "Why do you commit this ingratitude in that some
of you regard the rainfall as a favor of the gods, and some others
think that the rising of the clouds from the sea and their raining
as water is a natural cycle that is working by itself, and still
others, while acknowledging it as a mercy and blessing of God, do
not admit that God has any such right on them that they should bow
to Him alone? How is it that while you derive so much benefit from
this great blessing of Allah, in return you commit sins of disbelief
and polytheism and disobedience of Him?"

32The
tree here either implies the tree that supplies wood for lighting a
fire, or the trees of markh and 'afar, green sticks of which were
struck one against the other to produce sparks in ancient Arabia.

33Making
the fire "a means of remembrance" means; "The fire by
virtue of its quality of being kindled at, all times reminds man of
his forgotten lesson that without it human life could not be any
different from animal life. Because of the fire only did man learn
to cook food for eating instead of eating it raw like the animals,
and then new and ever new avenues to industry and invention went on
opening up before him. Obviously, if God had not created the means
of kindling the fire and the substances that could be kindled, man's
inventive potentialities would have remained dormant. But the man
has forgotten that his Creator is a wise Sustainer, Who created him
with human capabilities on the one hand, and on the other, created
such materials on the earth by which his these capabilities could
become active and operative. If he is not lost in Heedlessness, the
fire alone is enough to remind him of the favors and bounties of his
Creator, which he is so freely enjoying in the world."

34The
word muqwin in the original has been interpreted differently by the
lexicographers. Some have taken it in the meaning of the travelers
who have halted in the desert, some in the meaning of a hungry man,
and some take it in the meaning of all those who derive benefit from
the fire, whether it is the benefit of cooking food or of light or
of heat.

35That
is, "Mention His blessed name and proclaim that He is free from
and far above the defects and faults and weaknesses that the pagans
and polytheists ascribe to Him, and which underlie every creed of
disbelief and every argument that is presented by the deniers of the
Hereafter. "

36That
is, "The truth is not what you seem to think it is." Here,
the use of the word la (nay) before swearing an oath by the Qur'an's
being Allah's Revelation by itself shows that the oath has been
sworn to refute certain objections that the disbelievers wen raising
with regard to the Qur'an.

37"The
positions of the stars" : the positions and phases and orbits
of the stars and planets. The oath implies that just as the system
of the celestial bodies is firm and stable, so also is this Divine
Word firm and stable. The same God Who has coated that system has
also sent down this Word. Just as there exists perfect. consistency
and harmony among the countless stars and planets found in the
countless galaxies of the Universe, whereas apparently they seem to
be scattered, so also this Book presents a perfectly consistent, and
systematic code of life in which detailed guidance has been given,
on the basis of belief, about morals, modes of worship, civilization
and culture, economic and social life, law and justice, peace and
war, in short, about every aspect of human life, and there is
nothing out of harmony with the other, whereas this system of
thought has been expressed in scattered verses and discourses given
on different occasions. Then, just as the system of the heavens set
and planned by God is stable and unalterable, and does not ever
admit of the slightest variation, so also are the truths and
instructions given , in this Book stable and unalterable: no part of
these can be changed or displaced in any way.

38This
implies the well-guarded Tablet (leuh-mahfuz). For it the word Kitab
maknun has been used, which means a writing kept hidden, i.e. a
writing that is inaccessible to all. The Qur'an's having been
inscribed in this well guarded Book means that before its being sent
down to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) it lay
inscribed in the Divine Writ of Destiny in which three is no
possibility of any alteration or corruption taking place, for it is
inaccessible to every kind of creation. The Meaning of the Qur'an.

39This
is a refutation of the accusation that the disbelievers used to loud
against the Qur'an. They regarded the Holy Prophet as a sorcerer and
asserted that he was being inspired with the Word by the jinn and
satans. An answer to it has been given at several places in the
Qur'an, e.g. in Surah Ash-Shu'ara', where it has been said: "This
(lucid Book) has not beer brought down by satans, nor does this work
behoove them, nor arc they able to do it. They have indeed been kept
out of its hearing." (vv. 210-212). The same theme has been
expressed here, Saying: 'None but the purified can touch it."
That is to say "Not to speak of its being brought down by the
satans, or its being tampered within any way when it is being
revealed, none but the pure angels can come anywhere near it when it
is being revealed from the well-guarded Tablet (Lauh-mahfuz; : to
the Prophet. " The word mutahharin has been used for the angels
in the sense that Allah has kept them free of every kind of impure
feeling and desire. This same commentary of this verse has been
given by Anas bin Malik, Ibn 'Abbas, Sa'id bin Jubair, 'Ikrimah,
Mujahid, Qatadah, Abul 'Aliyah, Suddi, Dahhak and Ibn Zaid, and the
same also fits in with the context. For the context itself shows
that after refuting the false concepts of the Makkan disbelievers
about Tauhid and the Hereafter, now their false accusations against
the Qur'an are being answered, and by swearing an oath by the
positions of the stars, it is being stated that the Qur'an is an
exalted Book, which is inscribed in the well-guarded Divine Writ, in
which there is no possibility of any interference by any creation,
and it is revealed to the Prophet in such a safe way that none but
the pure angels can touch it.

Some
commentators have taken la in this verse in the sense of
prohibition, and have interpreted the verse to mean: "None who
is unclean should touch it. " Although some other commentators
take la in the sense of negation and interpret the verse to mean:
"None but the clean and pure touch this Book," they
express the opinion that this negation is a prohibition in the same
way as the Holy Prophet's saying is a prohibition: "A Muslim is
a brother of a Muslim: he does not treat him unjustly."
Although in it, it has been said that a Muslim does not treat the
other Muslim unjustly, you it enjoins that a Muslim is not to treat
the other Muslim unjustly. Likewise, although in this verse it has
been state that none but the clean and pure angels touch this Book,
yet it enjoins that unless a person is purified, he should not touch
it.

The fact,
however, is that this commentary does not conform to the context of
the verse. Independent of the context, one may take this meaning
from its words, but if considered in the context in which the verse
occurs, one does not sec any ground for saying that "None is to
touch this Book except the clean and purified people. " For the
addressees here are the disbelievers and they arc being told, as if
to say: `This Book has been sent down by Allah Lord of the worlds.
Therefore, your suspicion that the satans inspire the Prophet with
it, is wrong. " What could be the occasion here to enunciate
the Shari'ah injunction that no one should touch it without
purification? The most that one could say in this regard is that
although this verse has not been sent down to enjoin this command,
yet the context points out that just as only the purified
(mutahharin) can touch this Book in the presence of Allah, so in the
world also the people who at least believe in its being Divine Word
should avoid touching it in the impure and unclean state.

The
following are the traditions that bear upon this subject:

(1) Imam
Malik has related in Mu' atta this tradition on the authority of
'Abdullah bin Abi Bakr Muhammad bin 'Amr bin Hazm: "The written
instructions that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) had sent to
the Yarnanite chiefs by the hand of 'Amr bin Hazm contained this
instruction also: La yamass-ul Qur an a illa tahir-un. No one should
touch the Qur'an except the pure one." This same thing has been
related by Abu Da'ud from Imam Zuhri in the Traditions which are
immediately traced to the Holy Prophet (marasil), saying that the
writing that he had seen with Abu Bakr Muhammad bin 'Amr bin Hazm
contained this instruction as well.

(2) The
traditions from Hadrat 'Ali in which he says: 'Nothing prevented the
Holy Prophet of Allah from reciting the Qur'an but the state of
uncleanness due to sexual intercourse." (Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i,
Tirmidhi).

(3) The
tradition of Ibn 'Umar in which he states: "The Holy Messenger
of Allah said: The menstruating woman and the one who is unclean on
account of sexual intercourse should not read any portion of the
Qur'an. " (Abu Da'ud. Tirmidhi).

(4) The
tradition of Bukhari in which it has been said that the letter which
the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) sent to Heraclius, the Roman
emperor, also contained this verse of the Qur'an: Ya ahl al-Kitab-i
to 'alau ila kalimat-in sawaa'un bainana wa baina-kum .. .

The views
that have been related from the Holy Prophet's Companions and their
immediate followers are as follows:

Salman,
the Persian, saw no harm in reading the Qur'an without the
ablutions, but even according to him touching the Qur'an with the
hand in this state was not permissible. The same also was the view
of Hadrat Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas and Hadrat 'Abdullah bin 'Umar. And
Hadrat Hasan Basri and Ibrahim Nakha'i also regarded touching the
Qur'an with the hand without the ablutions as disapproved,
(AI-Jassas, Ahkam al-Qur an)). The same has been reported from
'Ata', Ta'us, Sha'bi and Qasim bin Muhammad also. (Ibn Qudamah,
Al-Mughni). However, according to all of them, reading the Qur'an
without touching it with the hand, or reciting it from memory, was
permissible even without the ablutions.

Hadrat
'Umar, Hadrat 'Ali, Hadrat Hasan Basri. Hadrat Ibrahim Nakha'i and
Imam Zuhri regarded reading the Qur'an in the state of uncleanness
due to sexual intercourse and menstruation and bleeding after
childbirth as disapproved. But Ibn 'Abbas held the view, and the
same also was his practice, that one could recite from memory the
portion of the Qur'an that one usually recited as one's daily
practice. When Hadrat Sa'id bin al-Musayyab and Sa`id bin Jubair
were asked about their view in this regard, they replied: "Is
not the Qur'an preserved in the memory of such a person ? What then
is the harm in reciting it ?" (AI-Mughni, .9l-Muhalla by Ibn
Hazm).

The
following are the viewpoints of the jurists on this subject:

The
Hanafi viewpoint has been explained by Imam `Ala-'uddin al-Kashani
in his Bada I as-Sana i, thus "lust as it is not permissible to
offer the Prayer without the ablutions, so also it is not
permissible to touch the Qur'an without the ablutions, However, if
the Qur'an is in a cast or a cover, it may be touched. "
According to some jurists, the case or cover implies the binding,
and according to others, the bag or the envelope or the wrapper in
which the Qur'an is kept and can also be taken out. Likewise, the
books of the commentary also should not be touched without the
ablutions, nor anything else in which a Qur'anic verse may have been
written. However, the books of Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) may be
touched although preferably they too may not be touched without the
ablutions, for they also contain Qur'anic verses as part of argument
and reasoning. Some Hanafi jurists hold the opinion that only that
part of the Qur'an where the Text may have been written should not
be touched without the ablutions. As for the margins there is no
harm in touching it, whether they are blank or contain notes on the
Text. The .correct thing, however, is that the margins also are a
part of the Book and touching them amounts to touching the Book. As
for reading the Qur'an, it is permissible without the ablutions. "
In Fatawa 'Alamgiri children have been made an exception from this
rule. The Qur'an can be given in the children's hand for teaching
purposes whether they are in the state of ablutions or not..

The
Shafi'i viewpoint has been stated by Imam Nawawi in Al-Minhaj, thus,
"As it is for the Prayer and the circumambulation of the
Ka'bah, it is also forbidden to handle the Qur'an or to touch a leaf
of it without the ablutions. Likewise, it is also forbidden w touch
the binding of the Qur'an, and also a bag, or a bow containing the
Qur'an, or a tablet on which a part of the Qur'an may have been
written for instructional purposes. However, it is lawful to touch
the baggage of a person containing the Qur'anic inscription. A child
may touch the Qur'an without the ablutions, and a person without
ablutions may turn over a leaf with a piece of wood, or something
else, if he wants to read the Qur'an.

The
Maliki position as stated in Al-Fiqh 'alal-Madhahib al- Arbah is:
They concur with the other jurists in this that the state of
ablutions is a prerequisite for touching the Qur'an, but in the
matter of imparting instruction in the Qur'an they make both the
teacher and the taught an exception from the rule, and allow even a
menstruating woman to touch the Qur'an if she is engaged in learning
or teaching it. Ibn Qadamah has cited in Al-Mughni this saying of
Imam Malik: Although reading the Qur'an in the state of uncleanness
due to sexual intercourse is forbidden, the woman who is discharging
the menses is permitted to read it, for she would forget her
recitations if prohibited from reading the Qur'an for along time.
The Hanbali viewpoint as stated by Ibn Qadamah is as follows: In the
state of uncleanness due to sexual intercourse and menstruation and
bleeding after childbirth it is not permissible to read the Qur'an
or any complete verse of it. However, it is permissible to recite
bismillah, al-hamdu-lillah, etc. for although these also are parts
of one or the other verse, their recitation does not amount to
recitation of the Qur'an. As for handling the Qur'an, it is not
permissible in any case without the ablutions. However, one is not
forbidden to touch a letter, or a book of Fiqh, or some other
writing containing a Qur'anic verse. Likewise, one may handle even
without the ablutions, something that contains the Qur'an. The state
of ablutions is also no pre-requisite for .handling the books of
exegesis. Furthermore, if a person who is not in the state of
ablutions is required to handle the Qur'an under an immediate need,
he may do so after purification with the dust (tayammum). "
AI-Fiqh `alal-Madhahib al- `Arabah contains this ruling also of the
Hanbali Fiqh: It is not right for the children to handle the Qur'an
without ablutions even when receiving instruction in it, and it is
the duty of their guardians to make them perform the ablutions
before they give the Qur'an to them.

The
Zahiri viewpoint is that reading the Qur'an and handling it is
permissible under all conditions, whether one is without the
ablutions, or unclean due to sexual intercourse, or even if the
woman is menstruating. Ibn Hazm has discussed this question fully in
Al-Muhalla (vol. 1, pp. 77-84) and given arguments for the validity
of this viewpoint and has concluded that none of the conditions laid
down by the jurists for reading the Qur'an and handling it, is
supported by the Qur'an and the Sunnah.

40Literally,
idhan (from which mudhinun of the Text is derived) means to treat
something with contempt, to deny its due importance, to regard it as
unworthy of serious attention, to hold it in light esteem.

41In
his commentary of taj `aluna rizqa-kum, Imam Razi has expressed the
view that probably the word rizq here means livelihood. Since the
disbelieving Qaraish regarded the message of the Qur'an as harmful
to their economic interests and feared that if it succeeded it would
deprive them of their means of livelihood, the verse may also mean
this: "You have made the denial of this Qur'an a question of
your economic interests, and for you the question of the right and
wrong is of no consequence; the only thing of real importance in
your sight is the bread for the sake of which you would least
hesitate to oppose the truth and adhere to the falsehood."

42Hadrat
`Uqbah bin `Amir Juhni relates that when this verse was sent down
the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) commanded that the
people put it in their ruku`, i.e. they should recite Subhana Rabbi
-yal-`Azim in ruku ' position in the Prayer. And when the verse
Sabbih-ismi-Rabb-i- kal-A'la was Sent down, he enjoined that they
put it in their sajdah, i.e. they should recite Subhana Rabb-i
-yal-a na in sajdah. (Musnad Ahmad, Abu Da'ud, Ibn Majah, Ibn
Hibban, Hakim). This show that even the most minor details of the
procedure enjoined by the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace)
for the Prayer are derived from the allusions given in the Qur'an.